A first-hand account published Saturday on GeekWire, an independent technology news site based Seattle, alleges that a Denver police officer pulled over an UberX driver for speeding and subsequently interrogated the passenger about the ride.

The UberX driver was heading to Denver International Airport and was stopped about a mile from the destination, according to the account by passenger Dave Cook. What happened after the cop asked for the driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance was simply strange, if true. Read more…

In signing the much-debated Senate Bill 125, Hickenlooper called for Colorado regulators to review existing rules placed on taxis and limos, questioning whether they’re still appropriate or necessary with the advent of ride-sharing services. Throughout the legislative process, taxi officials had argued that Lyft and Uber have unfair advantages because they don’t face similar regulations, such as rate, coverage area and insurance requirements. Read more…

During their fight to continue to serve the Denver transportation market, UberX and Lyft officials have claimed that Colorado regulators are more focused on protecting the interests of incumbent taxi companies than embracing competition.

The latest move by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission would seemingly support that allegation. On Wednesday, a day after lawmakers sent to Gov. Hickenloper a bill that officially authorizes UberX and Lyft’s ride-sharing services, the PUC granted an emergency request from taxi companies to lower their minimum insurance-coverage requirement from $1.5 million to $500,000.

The San Francisco-based mobile software upstart will relocate its Denver office to the new Industry Denver workspace in the River North Art District.

With plans to double its local workforce by year end, Uber is trading its 500-square-foot office in Galvanize for 6,000 square feet of space at Industry on Brighton Boulevard, serving as an anchor tenant for the $25 million project.

“Galvanize has just been incredible,” said Will McCollum, Uber Denver general manager. “I remember signing the lease on (Galvanize co-founder Lawrence Mandes’) back over here at Galvanize because we didn’t have a desk to sign it… But I’ve got eight people Read more…

UberX wants to close the so-called insurance gap, a major issue in the ongoing debate over whether Colorado and other states should authorize ride-sharing services.

The ride-sharing startup announced Friday that it will cover accidents involving UberX drivers during the period when they’re logged into the company’s app but are not providing transportation – if their personal policies don’t already provide that coverage.

“In a vast majority of the cases, it’s very clear that the personal insurance policies that (drivers) have cover that activity, but in certain cases and certain situations, it’s not as clear and there’s ambiguity there,” Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in an interview. “What we’re rolling out today is basically coverage for all the drivers that we work with … coverage of that insurance gap.” Read more…

Colorado Public Utilities Commission Director Doug Dean, a former state insurance commissioner, dropped a bombshell a week ago in the debate over whether Colorado should authorize and regulate ride-sharing companies such as Lyft and UberX.

Dean claimed during a Senate committee hearing that auto premiums would increase for all Colorado policyholders if insurers are forced to cover Lyft and UberX drivers while they’re logged into the companies’ e-hailing systems even if they don’t purchase commercial coverage, as Senate Bill 125 proposes.

Proper insurance coverage for passengers and Lyft and UberX drivers, who use their personal cars, has also dominated the conversation in other states where the companies operate. But the impact of ride-sharing services on insurance rates for the general public has garnered little, if any, attention outside of Colorado. Read more…

Questions continue to swirl over insurance coverage for drivers and passengers, with Colorado Public Utilities Commission Director Doug Dean suggesting Tuesday that the measure would force insurers to raise auto rates statewide because of a new requirement proposed by the bill’s sponsors.

Senate Bill 125 would classify Lyft and UberX as transportation network companies, or TNCs, and place them under limited PUC oversight. Lyft and UberX have developed smartphone apps that connect passengers with drivers, who use their personal cars for the ride.

SB 125 passed by a 5-2 vote and is heading to Senate Appropriations. Read more…

Lyft, Uber and several lawmakers will announce Tuesday a bill that would place the ride-sharing services under light regulation of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

The PUC said in December that its staff is investigating whether Lyft and ride-sharing competitor, uberX, are complying with state transportation rules. Staff investigators said in documents obtained by the Post that uberX and Lyft are offering common carrier services, like taxis, but without the necessary regulatory approvals.

In a response to the PUC, Lyft said it is not a motor carrier but rather a so-called transportation network company, an online peer-to-peer transportation platform that doesn’t fall under existing state regulations.

The companies have faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks after a couple of high-profile accidents in their home state of California, including one that involved an Uber driver and killed a 6-year-old. Read more…

The staff at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission will ask the three-member commission on Wednesday to open an investigation into ride-sharing services offered by San Francisco-based startups Lyft and Uber Technologies.

“The commission staff believes that they are providing common carrier service and they fall under the regulation of the commission,” said PUC spokesman Terry Bote.

Lyft launched in Denver in September. Uber began offering its ride-sharing service, called uberX, in the market in October. Users hail drivers for both services via smartphone apps. Read more…

On-demand ridesharing startup Lyft will announce its launch in Denver on Thursday at Basecamp, the official hub for Denver Startup Week. The Lyft service, which features cars that sport a pink mustache on their grilles, will open for a limited number of users on Thursday and the general public on Friday.

Denver will become the San Francisco-based company’s 13th market. Rival e-hailing service Uber launched in Denver about a year ago.

Lyft Vs. Uber

Like Uber, Lyft riders and drivers connect via a smartphone app. And the Lyft app also allows riders to see photos of drivers, their location and an estimated pick-up time.

Lyft, though, differs from Uber in two key aspects. First, drivers use their own cars and passengers usually sit in the front seat. Uber offers black car rides via partnerships with limo companies.

“The experience is more like getting a ride with a friend or an equal,” Read more…

Tamara Chuang covers personal technology and local tech news for The Denver Post. She previously spent 10 years doing the same thing for The Orange County Register before taking a hiatus to move here and become a SAHM to a precocious toddler.

Laura Keeney is a business reporter with The Denver Post, covering aerospace, aviation and biotech. Over the last two decades, she's covered everything from agribusiness to punk rock. Keeney holds an AACSB-accredited MBA from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.